Mirrors are used in many applications. Particularly for safety, rear-view mirrors are used in automobiles and other transportation modes including scooters, motorcycles and trucks. Variable reflection mirrors which automatically dim to reduce glare are used as rear-view mirrors in automobiles. The principal technology for these mirrors is called electrochromic (EC). The glare is sensed as a difference in the output between two light sensors (one positioned to look at rear illumination and the other to look into ambient illumination), processed by an electronic circuit, which then applies an electric stimulus to the EC cell. EC mirror becomes darker, hence less reflective when it is activated by this stimulus. Such mirrors and controls are described in many publications, particularly patent literature generated by Gentex Corporation (Zeeland, Mich.) and Donnelly Corporation (Holland, Mich., now Magna-Donnelly) and in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/793,071, filed Mar. 5, 2004 which is incorporated by reference herein. These mirrors are made both in planar and non-planar configurations. For example in the US the outside mirrors for automobiles are convex (non-planar) for the passenger side and flat (planar) for the driver side. In the US the interior rear-view automotive mirrors are planar. The non-planar EC mirrors are constructed using non-planar substrates. Typical construction of the EC mirrors involves use of two curved substrates which are bent to a high precision, and then providing an EC medium and the powering terminals for EC activation within the inwardly facing surfaces of these two substrates. Other types of auto-dimming mirrors based on liquid crystals and suspended particles may also be fabricated. This is an expensive process where twin substrates have to be precisely bent and kept in the same orientation relative to each other until they are assembled. Further, with changes in size, shape and curvature new bending dies are required which also add to cost and inventory. Some transparent conductors such as indium-tin oxide may not withstand the temperature of substrate bending (typically glass), thus rather than economically coating large sheets of glass and cutting them into shapes, a more expensive process is used where each shape has to be coated after bending. In any case, the use of bent substrates to make EC cells and maintain a constant gap between the two transparent conductors is more difficult and causes reduced yields and results in higher costs. This invention provides an alternative method of making non-planar auto-dimming mirror systems which use planar EC or an alternative light attenuating element in conjunction with a non-planar reflective element.